Onigiri Obtainable
by Sabishii
Summary: Tohru and Co. take a trip to China with a girl to see if they can lesson the burdens of their curse! (YukiXTohru) Part 2 up!
1. Benkyou Shite!

Parto Ichi: Benkyou Shite!  
  
Tohru hurried down the halls of her school with her bag swinging over her shoulder. A tall girl with blonde hair followed her persistently, calling out her name as she weaved her way through the school crowds. This only made Tohru run faster with laughter. When Uo finally caught up to Tohru, she was leaning against her locker with a slight flush on her face.  
  
"Tohru. What was that for?" Uo asked her, tugging on a section of her hair affectionately.  
  
But Tohru hadn't heard her just yet, because her sparkling eyes were fixated on the whooping and walloping students ahead of her. Uo blinked and followed her gaze, which lead up to the University score board. Her friend smiled and put a hand on Tohru's shoulder. It was her goal after all, to graduate from high school like her mother intended. Hanajima's head could be seen bobbing through the crowds after sometime, and she paused to stand by the other side of Tohru. Her face was flushed and her excessive panting suggested that she couldn't get enough breath.  
  
"Hana.You only walked here." Uo said with a smile.  
  
Hanajima nodded with a stoic expression, eyeing the scoreboard at the top of the school. Her arm circled around Tohru's waist and she smiled. The three of them were best friends, watching their sempai's excited cheers. Some of them were probably going to Tokyo University, and others abroad to America. Tohru could only imagine their excitement. These students worked so hard to get this far. And I'm only trying to graduate. Maybe with Yuki kun's help, I'll be able to get into a good school like this. But no, I don't have THAT kind of money. Perhaps if I keep saving. Her thoughts were interrupted as one of the "Princess" girls shouldered Tohru away from her friends. As expected, the rice ball apologized profusely at the rough contact. Her friends however, each grabbed one of the girl's bratty ponytails and dragged her away from Tohru. Cries of 'She's a witch!' and 'The devil!' could be heard echoing down the hall when they returned to her side.  
  
"Ah, Uo Chan, Hana Chan.. Wouldn't it be great if we all went to a wonderful university like these students are? I'd be so happy to make mother's dream for me come true. Even if she only wanted me to finish high school, I wonder if she wanted to go to college too." Tohru pursed her lips in thought, the hype of the day infecting her.  
  
Uo patted her head and nodded.  
  
"Kyoko would have definitely wanted you to be successful Tohru."  
  
"Hai, Tohru Chan." Hanajima added.  
  
"Maa." Tohru sighed, putting her hands behind her head.  
  
She didn't have enough time to study like these people had; the red marks on her papers were swirling around her head, threatening to make her dizzy. She wanted to ask for help from Yuki or Kyou, but it seemed that they were pretty busy with their own studying, though they'd asked if she would like assistance. No, she wanted to get there independently, without always leaning on those two for support. She lifted up a fist for emphasis and pumped it up and down a couple of times. Yes, she had to be strong and fight through school like a wild.. wild..  
  
"Animal." Hanajima murmured, turning to the side and pointing.  
  
Tohru froze with a ridiculous expression on her face, then followed her finger towards the locker rooms further down the way. A hot tempered Kyou was trying to pry a cat off his shirt, but it was clinging with all of it's claws. Uo laughed a bit, commenting on how cats always seemed to be following Kyou around. Hana only nodded in her mysterious way, before returning her attention back to Tohru.  
  
"You're not working today, are you Tohru Chan?" She asked inquisitively.  
  
Tohru shook her head with energy, flashing a bright smile in Hanajima's direction.  
  
"Well then! Why don't why go out and get some food!" Uo commented loudly, lifting a fist into the air and then dragging Tohru by her hand.  
  
Hanajima looked at her clock, seeing they had five minutes before the end of school. They were almost out the door before Tohru exclaimed erratically that she hadn't returned her library books, and to please wait patiently, she would hurry. Uo and Hana stood to the side of the door and smiled as Tohru ran off in a panic, furious at herself for holding everyone up. As she ran, she fumbled through her bag to see how many books she'd brought with her that day. She caught such titles as "Green Thumb" and another one called "The struggling Novelist" that made her smile. When she'd fingered through that book, she'd been surprised at the diligence required to be an author. Her face shown with pride. The people I live with are so talented and motivated! What ambition Shigure must have!  
  
-Uchi- (House)  
  
Shigure tapped his pencil on the desk, looking at his computer. His stomach growled.  
  
"Tohru!" He wailed.  
  
-Gakkou- (School)  
  
Tohru ran around a corner, managing not to trip but knocking her bag against the side. It swung back and banged against her leg, but she only huffed and ran on. When she finally reached the library inside of the school, she slowed down to a walk and smiled with relief. It wasn't closed for the end of school yet! She pushed the door open and almost ran right into Yuki. He blinked, not expecting the girl to come tearing in, then smiled serenely and stepped out of the way for her to pass.  
  
"Thank you Souma Kun!" She smiled happily and dropped her books off at the front desk.  
  
Yuki waited for the energetic girl to come back to the door, then they walked out together. He gave her a few basic greetings, but was mostly hovering over a syllabus for the rest of their 2nd year. She couldn't help but be curious, peering around him to look at what his classes had planned. She felt a little lost. Yuki was much smarter than her, being gifted in the year of the mouse. Of course, he wouldn't say that to her, or to anyone else, but it was common knowledge that his grace in the academic arts was phenomenal beyond words. She sighed a bit, knowing that that was another reason why the feline and the mouse were not getting along. The stressful time of exams was coming up, according to Yuki's syllabus, and the last time finals had swept across the school, Kyou had been so wrapped up in catching up to Yuki's school record. Of course, Yuki had out staged him in every subject, though the cats 'cursed' scores were nothing to be ashamed of. Tohru'd love to have such persistence in school, but it was located elsewhere. In other places, like at work, cooking at home, and spending time with her friends. It was true she only did enough to get by. While everyone else slaved away. Suddenly she felt inadequate.  
  
"Honda San?" Yuki asked, tilting his head at her with a small smile, "Is everything alright?"  
  
"H-Hai!" She responded, embarrassed to be caught wandering off, "I was just looking at.. at.."  
  
"My syllabus?" He inquired, holding up the stabled calendar sheets.  
  
She nodded a few times while he flipped over the pages.  
  
"Exams are coming up for the both of us. Would Honda San like to study with me?"  
  
Tohru's mind did a flip-flop. She did want to study with him, but poor Yuki! He would spend all of his time explaining things to her instead of studying his own material for the exams. She didn't want to burden him. She didn't want to burden anyone. "No." She trailed off uncertainly, unsure as to how to back that refusal up.  
  
Yuki looked disappointed, shuffling his papers back into a neat stack on a nearby desk. He tossed the longer portion of his hair back over his shoulder, and Tohru couldn't deny how beautiful he was at times.  
  
"Perhaps Honda San.. Had other plans?" He smiled with acceptance.  
  
"Iya! No! That's not why! I mean, I do want to study with you. But I don't want you to bother with me! I'm stupid!" The explanation flew out of her before she had time to cage it.  
  
She clamped her hands over her mouth in an effort to call back the sudden outburst. Of course she didn't want him to bother with her, and she didn't want him to know that truly. After all, whenever she said something negative about herself, he would make more of an effort. She fleetingly checked her watch. It was 10 after the hour. Inwardly, she shrieked, imagining Uo and Hana there by the door, checking their own watches while others walked on by. Even as she looked around now, the entire hall was free of students. Poor Hana and Uo! Waiting for me.. She was about to excuse herself when Yuki reached forward and delicately brushed some of the hair away from her eyes. She felt heat rising in her cheeks at his soft touch.  
  
"Honda San is not stupid. Not at all." He corrected her, putting his hand in his pocket, "Let's study together tonight, if Honda San wishes."  
  
"Ah. Eh. Eto.!" She trailed off, wringing her hands nervously before taking a deep breath and nodding. "If I do not disturb Souma Kun's own studying, then hai!"  
  
The doubt erased from his face like a magic marker, he smiled again with one of those flawless expressions of beauty, and waved goodbye. She bowed her head a few times, then took off down the hall yelling sorry ahead of herself.  
  
Hanajima and Uo looked up from the floor to console the apologetic girl. After they smiled their thanks for her rush and pushed open the door for her, she felt a little better. Talking energetically, they walked down the school path that led to the open road. Uo suggested going to an American style deli, but Hana wanted to go to an authentic Japanese restaurant for sushi. The two argued over it, Hana quietly, and Uo more loudly. Tohru hold up the white flag, holding out a 5-yen piece in her hand. She reached into her bag and put a blue sticker on one side.  
  
"Okay! I'm going to toss this up, and you two will say which side you want. The side facing up is the winner." She said happily, glad to have found a way to solve the problem.  
  
Uo laughed then, wrapping her arms around her stomach. Tohru blinked a few times and poked her arm.  
  
"Is that the Japanese take on 'Heads or Tails?'" Uo laughed, then turned serious. "Blue."  
  
Hana nodded her consent. The brunette tossed the 5 yen piece into the air, watching it spin a few times.  
  
"Ikimashou. (Let's go)" Hana said, turning to walk towards Yorokonde, the Japanese authentic store.  
  
A second later, blue side facing down, the coin hit the earth. Uo grumbled and followed after her while Tohru hurried to pick up the coin and join them.  
  
"I should have known a psychic would pick the right side." She muttered off to the side.  
  
"Demo, Uo Chan, you were the one who chose." Hana replied calmly.  
  
"That irrelevant!" She decided, throwing an arm up in the air, "I'll win next time."  
  
"Perhaps."  
  
Tohru could only giggle at her friend's small argument, silently thanking heaven for such great friends and such wonderful opportunities to learn more about them. Uo opened the door for the two of them, for which Tohru thanked her, and asked the waitress about the seating. There wasn't much of a line, so they got to sit right away. Grudgingly, Uo had to admit that it was a nice place, whether or not it fit her current mood. Tohru was busy looking around the store, the bright paintings of geisha and samurai were more than captivating. She folded her hands against the table, loving the ancient scene around her. She didn't know when her thoughts started drifting back to Yuki, but they always seemed to find him. She imagined him walking through the door to the small sushi bar, cloaked in grace and elegance, using his soft-spoken voice to order Spider Roll, or Gyoza. Maybe he would even order rice balls, thinking about her cooking at home. She sighed inwardly, eyes growing a little hazy during her daydream. She tried not to think of him like this, but sometimes she couldn't help but notice the little things about him that made him so wonderful. Like the way she would look up and already catch him watching her from across the dinner table, or the desk in his room, or above growing strawberries in a tiny field. Her imagination took a quick turn, and she imagined approaching him at school while he leaned against a locker, wrapping her arms around him and.-PYON!- Her daydream crashed.  
  
In the background she could hear Hana and Uo talking amongst themselves, not bothering to ask her what she wanted since she always picked the rice balls. She fingered the end of her unbroken chopsticks and bit her lower lip. Her dreams always tortured her when they strayed too far beyond her reach. She knew that she could never hug him. She could never feel the same warm from his fingers against her cheek envelope and comfort her. She wished she could, just for a moment, feel his arms around her. But why was she thinking of things like this. She was living in his household, a free loader, with him telling her he would help her study, and all she could think about was things like this. It wasn't that she only thought of him as beautiful. She knew that deep inside of him, there was an equally beautiful person shackled by his indecision and lack of self-assurance. She wondered how someone who had the entire student body captivated could be so insecure at times, but she knew that if she tried hard enough to bring out a happy, smiling Yuki that she had seen so few times, eventually she would succeed.  
  
"Tohru, what do you want to drink?" Uo asked, nudging her side with her elbow.  
  
Tohru's head snapped up to meet the smiling but exasperated face of the waitress before her. With a little help from her friends, she managed to get the point across that she would like hot green tea. The embarrassed girl covered her face with her hands. Uo laughed next to her and put an arm around her shoulders, commenting on the blush that was rising in her cheeks. Tohru put her hands down and laughed with her, knowing that it was from something else, not the encounter from the waitress. Hana was silent across the table, watching Tohru with an unmoving gaze. The waitress returned in a matter of minutes, putting a platter of Gyoza and Dragon Rolls in front of them. The three broke their chopsticks and said "Itadakimasu" in union.  
  
As she chewed, Tohru mulled over the idea of simply explaining to Yuki that she did have other plans and couldn't study with him that night. Maybe she could go out and get some groceries instead of studying with him and holding him down with her slow mind. She nodded to herself, but then felt a small pain of guilt in her stomach. Yuki tried so hard with her, why should she push away his efforts? What if he took it the wrong way and thought that she was mad at him, or worse, didn't want to be around him at all? That thought made her stomach turn cold. She didn't want to upset Yuki at all. Not at all. She hated it whenever he was upset, and always did her best to change the morose expressions lining his delicate features. The times she hated the most were when Akito visited them in the Shigure house. They were rare, but when they occurred, it almost made her mad to share a dinner table with him and watch Yuki's hands folded in his lap as tight as possible, yet shaking by her side. She often wondered what exactly had happened between them, but she didn't know if it was right to ask, so she never had.  
  
Yuki was never able to sleep at night after having dinner with him. He would sit in his room, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling with a look absent of fear, but only replaced by something similar to empathy, or shock. Still, part of her wondered how horrible it must be, to be born only to die, to be sick constantly, and so she tried to forgive him of the horrible things done to the Souma's. In the most secret place in her heart, however, she wanted him to disappear. She swallowed a piece of Gyoza and sipped her tea slowly. One time she had gulped it and nearly scalded her tongue. She smiled at the memory of her mother, cautioning her to be careful. I miss you. What would you do in my situation? Never give up, she told herself. That's what my mom would do. Ambition renewed, she entered Hana and Uo's conversation with a smile on her face.  
  
??-??????????  
  
Back at the Shigure home, Yuki was just walking in from a tiring and boring lecture from the student council. It wasn't directed at him, but at Haru, for throwing a boy in a shower naked and stealing his clothes. He really was troublesome when he was in 'Black' mode. But later, when Kyou told him, most scornfully, of what he had done, he only said 'Is that so?' before standing before Yuki and then abruptly taking him in his arms with apologies. After wrestling away from the other Juunishi, he merely told the both of them to watch what they did on the campus, because any trouble they caused reflected upon him as their cousin. He threw a couple more insults at the 'baka neko' than Haru, but he made sure that the cow also got the point.  
  
He set his back down at the corner of the entryway and took off his shoes. Removing his test booklets and school work, he padded silently past the sleeping Shigure and retreated to his room, where he spread his school work and propped his head in his slight hands. His eyes skimmed the sheets in front of him before he closed the booklet and approached his bed. He sat down slowly, then turned and lay. It felt nice to be surrounded by the warm sheets, kept hot by a ventilator under his bed. It was installed a few months ago, when he was entering a relapse of his Bronchi. He sighed and set his head on his pillow, relishing in the fact that it was also warm. At least I won't get sick. Getting sick would be very unfortunate at this point. Sliding under his covers, he allowed his eyes to close after a tiring day, preparing for a long night up with Tohru. He wanted to make sure she understood everything, and it was best to start studying a week ahead of time then waiting the day before the test. If she was going to do well, she needed preparation, and he was going to help her. A small, fleeting smile touched his lips as his thoughts brushed against her image. She was so cute today. Nevermind that thought. She was always the perfect image of all adorable in his mind.  
  
He tried to wrench his thoughts away from her, feeling the clenching pain in his chest already. The curse always did this to him. Was it the curse directly? He supposed not. It was his feelings for her that put this pain in his heart, but it was the curse that was the cause of all of it. The reason why he couldn't hug her. He wondered how it must feel, to hug a girl, to actually hug her. As he thought about it, he realized he never had. He'd bumped into girls, had someone bump into him, tripped and fell, but no one had ever hugged him purposely, and he had never purposely hugged a girl. He sighed inwardly. He had the chance to have a girl hug him, but he'd pushed her away, just like the last one before her. The only people who tried to show him love or kindness, and he could not return it. Tohru was there, but she had never tried to hug him either, only bumped into him, or some other misfortune. He wished that she would attempt it, but knowing the results, who would want to.? Who would want to approach someone they thought of as beautiful and intelligent, only then to have them transform into an ugly rat.  
  
He turned around and faced the wall, angering himself with his own foolish thoughts. It didn't matter what Tohru or any other girl thought about him, there was no way to be with her, or anyone else he would ever care for. He was cursed with this changing human body, and he'd just have to learn to accept it. Again. Tohru's presence could sometimes make that acceptance hard to attain. He felt around inside of his pillowcase until his fingers brushed upon something smooth and glossy. He pulled it out carefully, and was greeted by a picture of her, Hana and Uo at school. Hana had her same blank look on her face, though maybe a slight smile was peeking in the corners of her lips. Uo had on a characteristic smirk as she propped her arm on top of Tohru's head, who was smiling at the camera shyly, a slight blush on her face. He had said that he needed the picture for a demonstration of strong friendship, that the council wanted to put some kind of book together for departing students. It was actually a custom taken from America. The student body had thought that a 'Year Book' would be a wonderful way to preserve the memories of the struggles of childhood. He cherished that picture, pathetic though it may be. He reached out and pulled his blue coat up to him, fumbling through it until he found his inside pocket. Reaching inside, he pulled out another picture that Shigure had taken while they were down by the lake. It was a picture of three of them: Tohru, Kyou and himself. He held these two pictures up and smiled faintly. Contrary to the other picture, instead of the shy smile that she wore, there was a happy grin on her face instead. His hand was on her shoulder, and he was smiling normally. Kyou on the other hand had his arms folded, scowling, looking in the other direction. He was leaning against Tohru though, the only semblance of friendship between them. Kyou and Tohru were so casual around each other. The 'baka neko' was starting to get used to having a girl around as a constant presence. He blushed less and made less mistakes with his temper, but still, he had his moments. Yuki sighed to himself, putting both of the pictures now inside his pillowcase and slipping on his blue coat. He wanted to check on his garden, and then come back and help Tohru study the material he'd laid out. It had been raining lately, the last push of springtime showers, and he needed to make sure all was well in his strawberry section.  
  
He put one arm in and then the other, straightened, and then walked into the bathroom. He brushed his teeth nonchalantly, smiling at the strawberry towel hanging by the bath, and gave himself a five second once over. Black pants, black shirt, dark blue coat. He blinked at himself, sometimes realizing he didn't even know his face in the mirror, and then walked out of the bathroom. He passed Kyou going down the stairs.  
  
"Baka neko."  
  
"Kuso nezumi."  
  
Greetings greeted, he swung around the staircase and headed out the door, calling out his intentions to Shigure as he slid it shut. He looked up at the sky as he walked briskly down the path, noting how dark it was and wondering where Tohru could be. Perhaps she's working at her part time job. He shook his head. She'd told him that the next time she was working was Friday, tomorrow, and it wasn't like her to make a mistake with her work, and of course, she never lied. He eyed the sky again, dissatisfied with the darkening glower of the clouds. I hope she gets home alright. He'd never forget the day he met her in a tent, on his property, alone in the woods. Shigure had outright laughed, but he'd been concerned when she came down with a fever that day. Without realizing it, he realized he'd been chewing on his lip as he walked. He really shouldn't do that. He couldn't help being nervous though. He stepped through the part in the trees and investigated his field. A second later a rock had been thrown at the small yellow rabbit digging up his carrots. The rock hit it's back, right on target.  
  
"Kuso Usagi!" He was about to pick it up and heave it back into the woods when a familiar wailing stopped him in his tracks.  
  
"Waaaaaah! Yuki hit me! Yuki never hits me! Waaaaaaah!"  
  
"Momiji?" He asked incredulously.  
  
-PYON!- A yellow haired boy stood up stark naked and put his hands on his hips.  
  
"Yukiiii! Why'd you do that? I was just getting carrots for Tohru kun! I wanted her to make them for me!" He wailed angrily.  
  
Yuki looked around and located the boys clothes by a tree a short ways off. He snatched them up and delivered them to the small boy with a scattered amount of broken speech apologies. Momiji snatched them and scampered into them with lightning speed, then pressed his hands against his arms and whined about how cold it was. Yuki smiled a little and walked around the rabbit boy to patch in the dirt he'd been digging through. He exhaled, showing a sign of relief as he noticed that none of the roots had been damaged. The mouse stood up again and put a guiding hand on the back of Momiji's neck, perhaps holding him a bit more tightly than usual, as he lead him away from his fields and explained that they were off limits to small hands. Momiji put up little complaint now that his target was no longer in sight, and quickly amused himself with other things, like commenting on Yuki's choice of wardrobe. Momiji stopped and blinked a few times, looking at Yuki up and down.  
  
"Yuki. All the girls at school like you, right? It's you they're talking about, right?" He tugged on his coat.  
  
Yuki sighed, rising a hand to his forehead as if to ward off a headache, then nodded.  
  
"Ne.Does Tohru like you as much as they do?" He asked innocently.  
  
Yuki face faulted, losing the shot but catching the rebound.  
  
"Eh.. Something like that doesn't matter Momiji!" He said in a slightly exasperated, but more embarrassed tone.  
  
Momiji glared at the good prince, tapping his foot on the ground and displaying a most sour expression. Yuki swallowed, looking down at the younger boy in silent surprise. Eventually, Momiji smiled, showing pearly white, devious teeth. Yuki eyed him suspiciously, waiting for a comment.  
  
"You talk about these things with Hatsu Kun, so I'm going to go ask him!" Momiji grinned, walking away with a strong pace and merry attitude.  
  
Yuki irked, following him until he reached up to the back of the boys jacket and pulled back on the hood. Momiji stumbled back into Yuki, grumbling about how he was being rough today. Yuki tilted his chin up from behind and raised an eyebrow at the boy. Momiji's grumbling began anew, knowing that that was Yuki's way of warning him.  
  
"Demo! Yuki kuuun." The boy pouted, managing to look adorable even to Yuki, who fought the affects of puppy dog eyes, "I'm just as old as him. Why do you tell him things and not me!?"  
  
"I don't tell him things either. He just asks," Yuki explained.  
  
Momiji turned around to face his older cousin, once again looking him up at down. Yuki blinked, lifting a hand and raking it back through his dark hair. Momiji nodded and clasped his hands behind his back, spreading his legs slightly, looking much like a short, Sweden, military officer. Yuki suppressed a laugh, waiting for the boy to speak.  
  
"When did Hatsu Kun give that coat to you?" Momiji asked first.  
  
"Two years ago."  
  
"Really. How often do you wear it?" Now his eyebrow was lifting.  
  
"Depends on the weather."  
  
"Are you going to wear it for the rest of the night?" He leaned forward for this question, eyes wide with curiosity.  
  
"Probably not! Why are you asking me all these questions Momiji?" Yuki tilted his head to the side, waiting for an answer.  
  
The rabbit only smiled, once again showing a mischievous side of him. Yuki sighed and started walking again. Momiji hurried to keep up with him, skipping to match the bigger cousin's stride. His hands were still clasped behind his back, and he was humming a song he created himself. Sometimes Yuki understood Kyou's need to hit the younger boy every once in a while, but until today, Yuki never had. Of course, it was an accident. Yuki was too distracted to recognize the familiar bunny.  
  
"Yuki. You should wear it for the rest of the night." Momiji said rather quietly. "I see girls faces when you walk by wearing that, and I think Tohru might have the same reaction if she ever saw it. You look really good in that blue coat, especially when it's not unbuttoned, as it is now, and you can see the black shirt underneath. She'll like you in it."  
  
Yuki stopped walking and stared after the blonde. His heart was beating a little erratically, having not expected the advice from Momiji on his fashion sense or figure. He resumed walking again with a little sigh, but there was a smile on his face. Sometimes he forgot that Momiji was only a year younger than him, and while he seemed to be rather childish, he was just as old as Hatsuharu, who was no innocent by any standards. Yuki folded his arms to block out the cold, letting Momiji continue to skip ahead to the house. He could see it looming up in the distance, and he quickened his pace. Was Tohru home yet? Checking his watch to see it was 20 after 9, he decided that she definitely must be home by now. It wasn't like her to go out without telling anyone where she was, especially when they had made plans to study that night previously. A small knot formed in his stomach and refused to go away. What if she wasn't home? Where was he going to find her? What if something happened to her? He walked a bit faster, trying to ignore the pinpricks of worry that raced up his spine and stabbing his stomach. Hopping up the stairs, he reached out and swung the slide door open to see everyone sitting down for dinner. Most importantly, he saw Tohru.  
  
They all looked up from their dishes to see him return. Tohru blinked a few times, dropping her chopsticks on the floor. She bent over, stammering senselessly as she picked them up, then ran into the kitchen to clean them again. When she got up, Momiji was exposed to his line of sight. The younger boy winked at him, then went back to eating. Yuki looked down, a small blush creeping into his cheeks before he slid off his shoes. He approached his normal spot at the table, kneeling down on his knees before Tohru's beautiful dinner of fish, tempura and rice balls. He loved it when she made rice balls, because they reminded him so much of her. He clapped his hands together in a private, and late, "itadakimasu" before breaking his chopsticks and sinking them into Tohru's delicious meal. He felt bad eating while she wasn't there, but he had to catch up to the already half devoured fish on his company's plates. Tohru was such a good cook. If anything, she should do it for a living, maybe open her own restaurant. Tohru would also be good with kids though. She was so close with Kisa.  
  
Tohru returned to the table, clicking her shiny chopsticks together. She looked up at him expectantly, as if waiting for something. He smiled at her.  
  
"Oishii," He told her.  
  
She smiled and started eating her meal. He was always the one to tell her how good her meals were; well, and Shigure. Of course, he was really making it out to be that the meals Tohru cooked were the only joy in his cold, dark, sad life. Yuki shook his head at the humor of it. Silence stretched over the table for a moment, until Tohru let out a surprised gasp. She put down her chopsticks and turned to face Momiji.  
  
"I just realized! Momiji, do you know what day it is tomorrow?" She asked him in a sing song voice.  
  
"Hai!" Momiji shouted brightly, "I know!!"  
  
Kyou scowled from across the table, muttering under his breath about how high and whiny such an aged adolescence voice could be. Tohru waved her hand at him with a smile on her face, telling him to stop teasing while Momiji wriggled in his chair, eager to get a chance to explain. Yuki set down his chopsticks and propped his head on his hands with patience.  
  
"Tomorrow is Juunishi celebration day at school!" Momiji cried out happily.  
  
Yuki and Kyou both twitched, sitting up a bit straighter at the mention of a day dedicated in celebration to their curse. Momiji seemed happy enough about it though. All of a sudden, the event found a slate of recognition in Yuki's head. He nodded and sat back a bit.  
  
"I remember that day last year. We all had to wear the ears of the Animal our attitude represents." Yuki nodded, wincing at the painful memory.  
  
Tohru laughed, commenting on how she wished she had known Yuki at that time, so she could see him with 'kawaii' ears. Yuki studied the wood chips in the table before him, while Momiji reassured her that her waiting was over, and that tomorrow they would all be wearing animal ears. Suddenly, a loud, long sigh escaped Kyou.  
  
"I don't want to walk around with ears!" He grumbled, growling in frustration.  
  
"Maybe all the girls will think you look cute and try to hug you!" Momiji yelled enthusiastically.  
  
"Heh.. Let them try. How will they do that if I'm not there?" He laughed, holding up his trump card.  
  
"Baka neko." Yuki sighed, "You really are stupid. We have to be in school tomorrow for presentations. Without them, our grade will drop considerably. You can't afford that. Neither can I."  
  
Instead of arguing, Kyou fell silent in defeat. He knew that he couldn't miss that presentation. It was prepared. All of them had completed it a few days beforehand, but still, to be around on this day. Was nerve wracking. Tohru looked between the two of them, both with somber faces, and swallowed. How was she going to lighten the mood? She reached out at nothing.  
  
"I think I'll look silly, with puppy dog ears on." She said with a small giggle.  
  
Shigure jumped up in a fit of showering stars.  
  
"Have no fear, lovely Tohru! The Year of the Dog is proud and loyal!!"  
  
"Sit down Shigure, and finish your meal!"  
  
Shigure obliged now that his balloon had burst. Tohru smiled at his comment though, glad that someone had helped get them out of their melancholy silence. A few minutes later, dinner finished, Shigure cleared the dishes. Tohru was about to protest, but Shigure was firm in telling her that this night was for studying. At that, Tohru brightened, looking at Yuki with a nervous smile. He couldn't help but smile back. They both rose, bidding goodnight to Momiji, who was about to be picked up by Hatori, and Tohru wished luck to Kyou with his own studies while Yuki glared at him. Kyou smirked at Yuki, who simply shivered with disgust.  
  
"Well then, come now Tohru." Yuki said with a pleased look.  
  
They walked up the stairs, Yuki holding open his door for her to enter. She thanked him and stepped inside, looking around inquisitively. He wondered vaguely to himself why she was so curious, poking at things here and there. She turned around then, grinning at him, and asked what portion they were going to study tonight. He walked forward, picking up textbook that he'd left on his desk. He turned it so that she could read the headline, then extended it to her. She took it carefully, flipping upon the pages. Yuki had marked off anything that was important, and even highlighted some of the finer points of study. He watched with interest while her face changed colors from fair to red.  
  
"Is something wrong Tohru? What is it?" He asked, leaning forward a bit with concern.  
  
Her heard her sniff, then shield her face with her arm. He blinked, gently removing her arm from in front of her face. She was blushing, but no tears were in her eyes.  
  
"I'm going to take up so much of your time Souma Kun.." She said sadly, "I don't understand any of this math. I'm such a baka."  
  
He looked at her and smiled softly. She was always so concerned about everyone else, but he knew that this ran deep inside of her. She was very dedicated to the promise she'd made with her mom. She didn't want anything to stop her from getting in the way of her goal. But at the same time, she doesn't want to hold me back. He guided her over to a chair by his desk and let her sit down in it. He looked at the clock, seeing they had about two hours to study before midnight. Yoshi.  
  
??-??????????  
  
Tohru took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart as Yuki stood behind her, pointing out to different geometrical shapes, statistical figures, and old algebra equations. It wasn't as hard as it could have been, but she knew she'd have a hard time with it anyway. Math was her worst subject. She risked looking up at Yuki, seeing his confident smile. Tohru had to buckle down if she was going to learn this, and she didn't want to waste any of Yuki's time. Still, it was hard to concentrate when he was around at times. She laughed inwardly at her own foolishness, then began listening to Yuki's instructions.  
  
"And these, these two sides have to be equal. You'll see something like this in Chemistry as well." He said in his calm, serene voice.  
  
Tohru nodded, balancing the equation on a separate piece of paper. Yuki was always so neat and organized. No wonder he had the highest marks in all of his classes. Well, almost the highest apparently. He had once said there was one student ahead of him in English. Foreign languages were harder for Yuki than he had expected them to be. Tohru wondered if it was because of his insecurities. She imagined trying to work up the courage to speak to people he knew in a common tongue. How much harder it must be, when you don't want to make a mistake in another tongue. She smiled. Yuki was so brave. He continued explaining other equations to her while she made her own notes. An hour passed of his teaching, and her head was already spinning with equations. She frowned, looking down at the desk. She couldn't keep up with him. His mind worked so fast. She folded her arms on the table and buried her head in them most uncharacteristically. A few seconds passed, Yuki saying nothing, but then she felt his delicate fingers moving through her hair. Her heart leaped into her throat. She froze in place, not wanting to move a muscle, or even breathe, in case she'd scare him away from his own movements.  
  
His hand paused when he got no reaction, as if resting there uncertain what to do next. She noticed, now that she was completely silent, that his breathing was coming out a little less smoothly than usual. In the back of her mind, the part that wasn't hazed over with joy, she wondered if he was coming down with something in the last stretch of rainy weather. She hoped not.  
  
"Honda. San?" Yuki said uncertainly, "Are you alright?"  
  
She lifted her head reluctantly, catching his concerned gaze. He seemed concerned at least. But really, wasn't he annoyed with her? This was all so much trouble, and probably not for so good of a grade. She wished again that she was more responsible. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the feeling of his hand on the back of her head. It seemed that as soon as she focused on it though, it was gone. She sighed, opening her eyes again. Yuki walked over to his bed and sat down, folding his hands in his lap.  
  
"You can tell me what it is. I won't tell anyone else. That's the least I can do for you, ne?" Yuki said earnestly.  
  
The least. He can do? Tohru dropped out of her chair, landing on her knees in front of him. He was about to stand up, surprised, and help her rise, but she'd reached out and put her hands over his as he sat. He let out a surprised stutter at her sudden action, unable to move his eyes off hers. "The least you can do? Souma kun, I am so horrible! You're up late, trying to help me study when you should be studying yourself, and I don't even understand half of what your saying. You're wasting your efforts on someone slow like myself! Now that I think about it, you haven't even sat down for an hour. I took your chair. More than that, now you're trying to comfort me." She rambled out, "You already do so much for me!"  
  
Yuki was taken aback, eyes wide with shock at her outburst.  
  
"Gomen ne.. Souma kun.." She said, letting her hands drop back into her lap.  
  
"Iiya!" Yuki protested, sliding off the bed to sit in front of her, "I'm happy to help you Tohru. If you don't understand, we can go back over it at a more slower pace. It's my fault. Tohru is not Yuki. I'll go slower for you. I want you to do well." He pushed a piece of stray hair back over her ears.  
  
Tohru put her hands in her lap, blushing as he put her hair back into place. When she dared to look up at him again, she saw the reassuring smile of Yuki, sliding past her own defenses to touch her soul. Without thinking, she reached forward and brushed the back of her hand against his pale cheek. You're so special, Souma kun. Everyone is right. You're so special. She felt his face heat under her hand and smiled inwardly. She withdrew her hand and took him in. Black pants, black shirt, dark blue jacket. She couldn't help but notice how well it contrasted with his pale features and his soft dark hair. She pressed her palm flat against his jacket with a 'hmmm' and felt the material. It was surprisingly soft. She was about to withdraw her hand when she noticed how fast his heart was racing underneath it. His cold?? And the red on his cheeks.. A fever? He does feel hot..  
  
"Aa! Souma kun!" Yuki jumped and the sudden loudness of her voice, "Do you feel unwell?"  
  
She pressed both hands against the sides of his neck, checking his temperature and then nodded to herself.  
  
"You're very warm. Maybe we should call Hatori!" She exclaimed while he tried to regain his courage.  
  
"No, that's not it.." He was able to mumble.  
  
"I'll go get Shigure right now!" She said with a flurry of worry.  
  
"That's not it!" He said in a louder voice, grabbing her hand again and pressing it against his heart.  
  
Tohru's face lit, making the blush earlier seen on Yuki's face look like watered down Kool-Aid. She tried to calm down, feeling the irregular sensation of the Prince's heart beating furiously against her hand. He was taking deep breaths as well, she noticed.  
  
"It's not a cold.." He told her quietly, but firmly.  
  
She nodded, swallowing her nervousness and fear in one gulp. Yuki sighed, leaning his head back against the mattress of his bed, letting his hands slide off of hers. She leaned forward, slightly concerned, then moved to stand. She was coming around to his side when she slipped on one of his socks, falling towards him. At the last moment, she crossed her arms over her chest. She waited, eyes clenched shut, for the -PYON!- that would make her swell with regret, but it didn't come. The brunette opened her eyes slowly, meeting a startled Yuki kun underneath her.  
  
"You're. l-learning." He stuttered, not sure whether to push her off or leave her there.  
  
Either way, he was blushing just as furiously as Tohru was. He panicked. She panicked. In the process, they were only further entangling themselves. After a few efforts to slide out from under her, Yuki stopped moving. Noticing his inanimate body, she naturally became concerned. "Souma kun.?"  
  
"Tohru. Once. Please." He forced the words out somehow, head turned to the side, looking at the ground.  
  
"What does Souma kun.?"  
  
At that moment, he reached out and pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms firmly and securely around her. He relished that short instant of her warmth before.-PYON!- Pink smoke rose around a surprised Tohru, who immediately began her search for the small mouse. Once located, she picked him up in her hands and smiled down at him.  
  
"I suppose I'll think of that as a punishment." Tohru said happily.  
  
"Punishment.?" Yuki's voice rose out of the small animal.  
  
"Yes. A hugging punishment, for being too kind when you should worry about yourself." She nodded and set him in his bed, drawing the covers over the mouse out of politeness before hopping out the door.  
  
She waited for the -PYON!- before she exited the room, smiling at the confused Yuki, safely shielded under his sheets. 


	2. Juunishi Omedetou?!

Notes that I forgot to include in the first chapter that I don't want to re- upload:  
  
Hai! This anime is not mine; I do not claim to own it and frankly: I would be unworthy! *_*  
  
And a little something else:  
  
-bow bow- Hello Minna. Thank you for your positive comments on the first part of my story! I was very happy and surprised to receive them! As for what you've said about the "year of." ect. I already knew about it, but frankly, I just wanna have fun. o.o Aren't I brave? So, I know that everyone would be wearing different ears, but I'm changing it so the Juunishi celebration is not about what year you were born in, but the traits of the animal you have. Tohru stays the same as a dog, because she is loyal to your friends, easily trusting. Classmates will give you the ears that you're assigned. Kyou receives the cat because he is jumpy, Yuki receives the ears because he's so smart. You see? ^_^ I hope that cleared up some things for everyone. Thank you for showing your interest! This is a little slow, but don't worry. Part three picks up right away. ^_^  
  
** See explanation at the bottom!  
  
Part Ni: Juunishi Omedetou?!  
  
Tohru woke up bright and early the next morning, determined to have the best Juunishi day ever. She had decided that this day would be the day that she would make everyone appreciate the different and wonderful qualities they had, despite being a Juunishi, and because of it. She shifted through her closet, wondering what she should pack for changing after school. She ended up picking a long blue skirt, and a white tank top blouse. She nodded. That should do it. Slipping into her own clothes, she suddenly flashed back to last night. The memory of his hug rushed back at her like a title wave, giving her funny sensations in her stomach. She patted it gingerly with a silly smile. Tohru buttoned her skirt, mind still on the previous night. Yuki is so beautiful. She said to herself, He was so . good looking in the jacket. She shook her head. No time to be thinking about stuff like that!  
  
She skipped down the stairs, taking them two at a time with bag in hand. Her school uniform felt nice and comfy, though her legs were a little cold in the crisp dawn of morning. She ran into the kitchen, scooping her presentation off the counter and stuffing it in her bag. Ara? What about breakfast? Her stomach growled, as if agreeing with her. Bursting with genki energy, she threw open the refrigerator door to be greeted with leeks, and a plethora of fruit. Her eyes fixed on the blueberries, raspberries, nectarines, apples, and tomatoes in the back corner. Hai! She closed the distance between her and the delicious fruit, pulling them out for inspection. Most of them were flawless. Ne. I wonder if these were from Yuki kun's garden.She hopped over to the dishware section and pulled out a medium sized white plate, setting it neatly within the straw basket looped around her arm. After she'd piled it high with sliced fruit, she wrapped the plate and it's contents in saran wrap and made sure it was secure. She put some miso soup and a cup of rice out for Shigure, knowing it wasn't much, but not having the time to make something better for him at the moment. She opened her bag and carefully set her mother's old video camera into it. She might want this later, in case something fun was going on that she didn't want to miss! Not so soon after, Kyou emerged from his room with an irritated look on his face. In his right hand, he clutched his speech. Tohru smiled at him brightly, gesturing towards the fruit's basket she had on the table. He nodded indifferently and dropped his project onto the table.  
  
"Eh? Kyou kun?" Tohru asked in a bright voice, tilting her head to the side.  
  
"This presentation could cost me a lot today." He declared, narrowing his eyes at the typed sheets of paper, "This better not go wrong."  
  
"Don't worry Kyou kun! Everything will end up fine!" ^^ ( optimistic  
  
Kyou rewarded her efforts with a very faint and fleeting smile before reverting back to his growling, hissing normality. The low growling and hissing reached a new pitch when the half-asleep Yuki came out of his hibernation enough to manage an "Ohayou". Tohru returned the greeting excessively, bending over to scoop up the basket in one hand and the report in the other. She slipped her report hand through her bag strap and managed to hoist everything up into place.  
  
"Oi. Let someone else carry that." Kyou pointed to the basket she was carrying.  
  
Tohru smiled her thanks and handed him the basket just as Yuki rounded the corner of stairs. Kyou took the basket with a look of 'I didn't mean me!'. She fumbled with ideas inside her brain, wondering how the two would react to them. The Prince sat down at the table, eyeing Shigure's miso and soup. Tohru wondered how long his resistance would hold out before he closed the distance and ate it, so she brought up the subject.  
  
"Ne, Kyou kun, Souma kun.!" Both of them turned to look at her, "I was wondering, after school, would you two want to get out of the house and do something with me?"  
  
Two pairs of eyes blinked, then narrowed to face each other. Kyou loudly exclaimed that he didn't want to be anywhere close to Yuki for a whole day, and Yuki agreed passively, stating that there wasn't a fiber in his body that would be compatible with Kyou's; today and beyond. Tohru laughed nervously, then looked at the ground a little chestfallen. Kyou eyed her and made a grumbling noise, opening his mouth to speak, but Yuki beat him to it.  
  
"Though, Honda San, I will go with you." He said with a smile, beginning to wake up at last.  
  
"And I can bear him for a little while. Just stay out of my way, kuso nezumi!" Kyou growled in a threatening tone.  
  
Tohru smiled as their bickering continued beyond that, just happy that both of them would be with her. She wondered in passing, just how long were they going to be like this? If Kyou continued to live with Yuki and Shigure, college would not approach them for another two years. After all, they were only in their second year of high school. After two years, would their harsh feelings towards each other fade? She could only hope. In an act of pure reflex, Tohru caught an apple that was supposed to be for Yuki's face and laughed quietly to herself, setting it inside the basket next to the wrapped plate Neko San was holding. She started walking towards the door, Yuki and Kyou naturally following her with shouts and curses, and stepped out into a gray sky morning. She made Hmmming noises, wondering how long the clouds were going to block the sun.  
  
I hope it's not gray all day like yesterday. She thought to herself as she offered the plate of fruit to the both of them. Kyou angrily peeled a banana, which was a funny sight, considering there's only so much wrath you can put into a piece of fruit, and started eating. When the three of them got to school, Tohru hid between the two males she was walking with. Yuki's fan club were sending her the glares of death, but they were somewhat extinguished because of the dog, bunny, and tiger ears they were wearing. In fact, Tohru giggled at them. Of course this only fueled their fury, and they muttered obscene death threats under their breath until Hanajima, (sporting a pair of 'dragon' fins) appeared beyond them with electricity sparking around her. The girls fled, leaving the familiar cries of 'Devil onna' behind them. Uo walked up behind Hana and put a hand on her shoulder with a familiar grin.  
  
"Hmm.. So those are the ears they were appointed?" Hana said quietly.  
  
"Those girls. They never give up do they?" Uo muttered, shaking her head, "Ah yes, Tohru Chan!"  
  
Uo took out a headband with dog ears dangling and shook it in front of her. Tohru laughed and walked over to them, bowing her head. Hana took the ears and slipped them on with a rare, quiet laugh. Tohru lifted her head with a smile to be blinded by the flash of a camera.  
  
"Uaaa!!" She cried, flailing backwards as she rubbed her eyes.  
  
"Gomen ne, Tohru Chan," Hana apologized for Uo, who was only laughing, "We had to use the ultra flash since the sky is so cloudy."  
  
"Don't think you two are getting away!" Uo said to the retreating backs of Yuki and Kyou.  
  
They froze in their steps with a look of hell on their faces, then took a look around them. Of course, all the girls were staring at Yuki with dreamy eyed expressions, but they also all had the ears of their animal on. Yuki sighed and resigned his resistance, looking a bit uncomfortable as Uo put mouse ears on his head. She snatched up a fist full of Kyou's uniform as he tried to run off and put cat ears on his head with a swift jam. He snarled and twisted out of her grasp, looking very much like an angry kitten.  
  
"This is priceless," Uo said, looking at the Polaroid of Tohru, "Ne ne, stand with Yuki and Kyou!"  
  
Tohru bowed with a bright 'Hai!' and ran over to the two boys. Kyou irked; Yuki smiled nervously. She grabbed onto Yuki's hand and looped an arm through Kyou's and then smiled brightly. The prince blushed a bit, but managed to raise his eyes to the camera and plaster a small smile. Tohru let go of Yuki's hand and ran up to the two girls to watch it develop with them. Yuki tried to ignore the hissing and squabbling that accompanied Tohru's action. All the girls around him where whispering to themselves and some were even pointing.  
  
"Ne.. Yuki.. Doesn't that get annoying?" Kyou asked.  
  
Yuki nodded, folding his arms over his chest as he watched Tohru giggle and laugh. A while later, she ran back and showed the two of them the picture. Yuki looked fine, Tohru looked absolutely adorable, but Kyou had blushed scarlet and looked to the side when Tohru linked arms with him. Kyou hissed and made a grab for the picture, but she held it behind her back protectively. Hana came up behind her and plucked it out of her hands easily, returning the picture to Uo. Kyou shouted that he wanted the picture, but Uo only pointed and laughed at him as she slipped it into her photo album retrieved from her bag. Tohru smiled at her friends, thankful for their cheerful personalities, even if Kyou's wasn't best described that way. Kyou was yelling at Uo and Hana, while Yuki stood a few feet behind her. Tohru looked back over her shoulder and gave Yuki a slow, but sweet smile. Yuki returned it, then looked down at his watch.  
  
"Ah, class is about to start!" He said in a voice of slight worry; after all he was never late.  
  
Four wrists raised in unison, four faces twisting with panic as they threw themselves into the crowd of rushing students. Kyou and Yuki hugged the walls, weaving through people as safely as they could. Tohru waved, but they lost sight of her in the sweep of students. After all, she could plunge right in. There was no need for her to worry about changing into the animal indicated by their ears. On the way to class, Yuki could hear snippets of conversations. At first they meant nothing to him, but after a while they all started to sound the same. They all mentioned the same person, someone he hadn't met yet, and they were rather insistent with the fact that she really was something. He shrugged and pressed on, opening the door to class and sliding into his seat. Kyou did likewise, finding his desk slightly ahead of Tohru's. The teacher clapped her hands as soon as he sat, indicating that class was about to start right then. Yuki breathed a sigh of relief. They'd just made it.  
  
"Students, today is a very important day," The teacher began, looking very silly in a pair of pink pig ears.  
  
Tohru made sure to pay attention to the man, not wanting to miss anything. After all, this was the day she was going to try to smooth over some of the bumps that those two had against themselves. Her eyes sparkled with interest as she listened to him drone on about the events of the day, some of which weren't there last year. In the gym, there was going to be a dance by three girls from the Year of the Rat, Tiger, and Rabbit. That certainly was new. She wondered who was going to dance. She smiled when she heard that there was only to be two hours of actual class today, and the rest of the time was going to be filled with activities. Perhaps then Kyou and Yuki would be glad they came to school, instead of scowling over a presentation that was worth a large chunk of their grade. After he was done explaining, people started their speeches. They each had to pick a disease, research it, and then talk about it for 7 minutes. Tohru fervently hoped that hers was long enough. Hanajima's quiet speech was on leukemia, Uo's on cancer of all forms, Kyou's on the plague, Yuki's on asthma and finally, Tohru's on diphtheria. Yuki spoke eloquently and articulately, illustrating all the main points of asthma around the world, where it had originated, and how it was treated today.  
  
Uo, always the good student, did extra on her portion of the project, making diagrams and charts on the death rates and plotting tacks on a map to show where doctors studying cures were located. The teacher was very impressed with her work. Tohru's ended up not being to short. She was 30 seconds over the pass/fail mark when she wrapped up her speech. The teacher congratulated her with her thoroughness, which earned her a kind smile from Yuki and a nod from Kyou. She staggered over to her desk and managed to sit down, legs like jelly and heart pounding furiously from her nervousness. She didn't like speaking in public. It always made her nervous. Two hours later, every student in the room had completed their presentation and were now itching in their seats, eager to tear their eyes away from the blackboard. Our main character's own hands were folded in anticipation, her eyes constantly darting back and forth from the back of someone's head to the creeping hands on the clock. As soon as the minute hand struck the hour, the teacher bowed and a mass horde of students piled into the halls from every classroom. Tohru took her time, gathering her things in hopes that she could make it to her locker. Yuki, Kyou and Tohru rose from their seats as soon as nearly everyone else had left. Uo and Hana waved goodbye, saying they were going to get a late breakfast and return after. Tohru waved after them cheerfully before returning her attention to Yuki and Kyou.  
  
They were about to leave as someone else rose unsteadily from their desk. Yuki and Kyou walked on, not really noticing the girl, but Tohru paused in the doorway, looking at her from over her shoulder. Her dark burgundy hair fell around her shoulders, long and straight. She had a rather pale complexion, and was probably slightly shorter than herself. She was slowly putting her presentation back into her bag, not really in a hurry to get anywhere it seemed. Tohru put a finger to her lips, thinking pack through the class period. Finally, the girl's disease popped into her head. She had been the one to do bronchitis. She should have remembered that sooner. After all, Yuki had been nodding at some of the things she said. Tohru turned when Kyou yelled 'OI!' into the school hall, answering with a nervous 'H-Hai?'  
  
She stepped out of the classroom, and was about to walk over to the two waiting males when someone caught her arm. She jumped, yanking her arm back to her in surprise. A smaller girl, most likely a first year, started apologizing in rapid fire while waving her hands.  
  
"Gomen gomen! I didn't mean to scare you! Ne ne, is nezumi san still inside?" She asked loudly.  
  
Tohru paused, looking at the younger girl uncertainly. She blinked a few times, waiting for her response, but Tohru was too busy taking in the girls unnatural features. She looked very young, but she'd managed to fit 5 ball trap earrings in her right ear and six in her left. Her bright blonde hair fell to her chin where that color abruptly ended, and an erratic orange proceeded for another 5 inches. A pair of black and white cow ears adorned her head. Tohru looked up as Yuki reached her side, then pointed to him with a questioning look. The girl shook her head.  
  
"Iiya! Keiko San! Keiko!" She shouted, bobbing her head up and down enthusiastically.  
  
"Hai?" Came a small voice from the doorway.  
  
Three heads turned to see the burgundy haired girl standing in the doorway with a confused look on her face. The blonde girl leaped from her perch on a nearby desk and wrapped both arms around the girl's neck with a delightful shriek. Yuki winced, but Tohru smiled at the girl's bright attitude and barrel full of energy. When the leap connected the burgundy girl had to step back a few feet and set the blonde on the ground. They were exactly the same height, so she'd been able to keep her balance. She turned her head to the side to face Yuki and Tohru and smiled slightly. Tohru couldn't help but stare at her deep red eyes and still gaze.  
  
"Gomen ne, I hope she didn't bother you." She said quietly, smiling like this: ^_^  
  
Tohru stammered out a 'No' as the blonde pounced on the quiet girl from behind. Her eyes glittered in triumph and she placed a pair of mouse ears on top of the dark red hair. She threw her hands up with glee.  
  
"Hai! Nezumi San!!" She squealed.  
  
The girl slid off her back, allowing the other to straighten up. Yuki smiled at her gently, then introduced her as Keiko while Tohru bowed off the record.  
  
"It's very nice to meet you Keiko San!" Tohru said with a happy expression on her face.  
  
"Nice to meet you too, Honda Tohru San." Keiko said, bowing her head, "My noisy friend is Kadokawa Ayumi."  
  
The 'sunset girl' as Tohru had secretly dubbed her, flashed a victory sign to the two of them with a large grin. She's so cute! Tohru thought to herself, wondering how many other first years she was going to meet. This was the first one besides Hatsuharu and Momiji that she had even spoken to. She laughed to herself, wondering how Momiji and Hatsuharu must look in their own ears. Momiji was probably as darling as ever, but the pretend ears were just too much together. Yuki and Tohru both let out 'Nice to meet you' in unison, nodding their heads to the younger girl.  
  
"Ah, wait, Keiko San, what's your surname?" Tohru asked, ashamed not to have mentioned it before.  
  
Keiko only smiled softly while her more noisy friend explained that she was not from around here, and that her birthplace was actually in Korea. Tohru looked at her in surprise while Keiko nodded briskly. She shifted her eyes between Yuki and Tohru and then cleared her throat.  
  
"My last name is Lin, and I am from Korea. My grandmother and I moved to China, and right now I am in a foreign exchange program here in Japan. I'll return to China at the end of the school year." She explained.  
  
"Hai!" Ayumi chimed in, "And she's staying at my house for a while. You can call me Yumi by the way. Her grandmother is so cool!" She pumped her arms with emphasis, "I met her once, and she told me all about the juunishi! She knows so much about the legends, and she's the one that made Keiko safe!"  
  
Tohru blinked and tilted her head to the side. She looked towards Yuki to see if he knew what was going on, but he was only fixing a very intense gaze on Keiko. She took a step back from him, unsure as to what was going on his head. His eyes could make the paint peel off the walls. Keiko looked away from Ayumi and focused her red eyes on his purple ones. They interlocked and held for a few moments while Tohru and Ayumi shrugged their shoulders in confusion.  
  
"Safe?" Yuki asked, all friendliness gone from his voice.  
  
Ayumi bounced in place, trying to draw the attention away from the two of them and on to her.  
  
"Hai! For the Juunishi!" She bubbled.  
  
"Shh Yumi, they don't know what you speak of." Keiko said softly, never removing her eyes from Yuki's.  
  
"H-Hai, that's right. Nevermind me!" Ayumi said brightly, fully aware of the stare down that was ensuing between the two, "Ne, Tohru San, how are your studies going?"  
  
The subject changed, the two mice broke their stare. School was more safe a subject then Keiko's origin and family, it seemed. Tohru let out a long sigh, dropping her gaze to the floor. Yuki smiled and put a hand on her shoulder consolingly, telling the two other girls that they were studying together, and that Tohru faced most of her challenges in math. Keiko nodded sympathetically, telling Tohru that when she was younger math had also been a struggle for her. Tohru looked up sadly to face a small smile from Keiko.  
  
"Ne, how are your studies going Keiko San?" Tohru asked in a bright, happy tone.  
  
Keiko laughed lightly and waved her hand a bit.  
  
"Studying is no big deal for me. I'm just fine."  
  
Tohru nodded and smiled, but behind the smile she was semi-hurt by the easy way Keiko went about school, acting as if finals were a walk in the park.  
  
"Souma kun?" Ayumi asked, tilting her head to the side with an inquisitive look.  
  
"I'll be just fine." Yuki said softly, clasping his hands behind his back with a nod.  
  
Tohru glanced up at Yuki, then looked at Keiko with a slightly sad look and said, "Souma kun is spending so much of his time studying with me, to help me, and I feel so bad. Ne, Keiko San??" Her head popped up brightly.  
  
Keiko inclined her head forward with an eyebrow raised responsively.  
  
"Are you busy tonight?" Tohru huffed excitedly.  
  
If I can get someone smart like Keiko, who doesn't need to study to help me out tonight, then Souma Kun can get some studying of his own done. She waited in anticipation as Keiko pursed her lips, mentally going over the checklist of things she had planned that day. Ayumi was quiet in the background. Eventually, Keiko shook her head, asking if Tohru San would like her to stop by and help her. The brunette pumped her head up and down excitedly, coaxing a soft laugh out of the other girl. Ayumi giggled at Tohru's grateful and consecutive 'thank you's' telling Keiko that, since it was a Friday, she was also spending a night out with a friend from her class, so she wouldn't be home for dinner anyway.  
  
Keiko nodded, saying, "In that case, I'll stop by later tonight if it's alright with you."  
  
"Anou.." Yuki began, pausing when three pairs of eyes turned towards him.  
  
That's right! I live with Souma kun!! Tohru raised both hands to her mouth, shocked at herself for not realizing it at first. She'd been so caught up in the notion that Yuki would be free to do his own studying, that she'd forgotten her situation. What if something bad happens, like the time that Uo Chan and Hana Chan came over. I am so stupid!  
  
"Aa, sou desu ne. Is it alright with you, Souma Yuki San?" Keiko asked earnestly, "I wouldn't want to interfere."  
  
Tohru was about to cancel her invitation, when Yuki beat her to it.  
  
"Iie, you wouldn't be interfering with anything," He said gently, placing his hands up in front of him, "Both of you will be at my house?"  
  
Keiko nodded, saying that it was alright with her, while Tohru breathed a small sigh of relief. Yuki wrote his address down on a small slip of paper and conversed quietly with Keiko over directions. She placed a hand over her heart, feeling it's nervous beating underneath her palm. Thank goodness Yuki had found a way out of the hole she'd dug them into. She really had to be more on her toes if she was going to involve other people with the Souma's. She nodded to herself. The Souma's are not a normal family, and if anyone else was to find out about their secret, it could cause great problems between the Juunishi. Shigure had even mentioned once, in passing, that if Hana Chan and Uo Chan were to have picked up on the transformations that occurred during their first visit, Tohru would run the risk of again losing her memory. She didn't want Akito to rethink his decision on whether or not she was troublesome enough to discard or keep. Tohru blinked as she heard a hissing behind her. Keiko also seemed to pick up on it, lifting her head from the paper Yuki had handed her and following Tohru's gaze to the end of the hall. Around the corner, three heads lined up vertically were staring with sparkling eyes in their direction. Yuki put a hand to his forehead in exasperation and turned back to Keiko to finish his instructions.  
  
Ayumi leaned forward and whispered, "Why are those three girls staring at us so sinisterly..?"  
  
"Ah, don't mind them." Yuki waved his hands dismissively and slipped the pen back into his pants pocket, "I'll expect you tonight then, Rin Keiko San." **  
  
Yuki and Keiko nodded their heads to each other while Tohru thanked her. Keiko only smiled and waved as she walked down the hall, stuffing the address and directions into her pocket. Ayumi stuck out her tongue and waved, bounding in pursuit shortly after.  
  
??-??????????  
  
Yuki watched the girl as she walked away, then turned to Tohru with a smile.  
  
"Well, Honda San, shall we go?"  
  
She nodded with a large smile and walked side by side with him in the opposite direction. He secretly let out a sigh of relief. He didn't want anyone other than Hana San and Uo San to know that Tohru was living with him. After all, think of the uprising there could be if the school found out that a girl of no relation was living with a boy, two boys no less. It might cause a stir that would make Tohru unable to live in the Shigure household, and he didn't want her to go back to her father's side of the family. They had been cruel to her. She wouldn't have cried, and wanted to go back to live with them so desperately if they had been a little more welcoming to their niece, cousin, or whatever she was to them individually. When he and Kyou had gone looking for the house, sure, it had been difficult, but it had been worth the trouble. When they finally found it, the door was left open, so they'd come in without saying anything. Standing behind Tohru without saying a word, they'd listened to her story about how she was grateful, even though it was obvious from her grandfather's statement that they were totally rotten people. He had to admit that his heart had melted at her kind words. He remembered seeing a shy, embarrassed look on Kyou's face as well. Then again, no other girl had wanted to know so much about him, he supposed.  
  
Yuki really couldn't say that. There were a lot of girls in the school, swarming over him at every chance they got, and then another pair of girls that he particularly disliked, who kept spying on him and Tohru, or anyone else he was with. Sometimes he pretended not to notice them, but after studying martial arts his senses were finely tuned to what was going on around him at all times. They were just like vengeful cat spirits, hissing and scowling at his company from corners. Really, there were some people at this school that he just couldn't tolerate, even though it was his job to support and nourish them as part of the Student Council.  
  
Speaking of the student council, he wondered if he had a meeting today. He went over his mental checklist and realized that he was free for the entire day; free to spend time with Tohru. He looked over his shoulder to see if Kyou had gone the other direction, but speculated that the boy had just taken off as soon as he was free from the crowds. Kyou usually wanted to get as far away from Yuki as possible, and frankly, he was glad of it. He ground his teeth in irritation. As soon as the hateful fiend crossed his mind, he was always left simmering in anger. He didn't know anything about him, and yet he claimed that he had him down to a T, and that everything was spelled out on his face and in his actions. He said that he LIKED acting SEXY. That showed how much he knew about Yuki, which was nothing at all. Well, maybe not nothing, but certainly nothing noteworthy. Besides, most of the way Yuki acted around others was not really himself, but just a copy of himself he put forth for other people to enjoy. He wanted to go to this school of mixed genders and less code strict rules because of the fact that it was someplace to get away from what he was, and to get away from what he was, he had to be what he was not. Even if what he was not was someone who was nice and courteous, who cared for others from afar, he knew that those were good qualities that other people would like. He displayed an air of officially and confidence that he did not feel, and people taken in by that had voted for him countless times and put him into the situation he was in at the moment. Truthfully, it was scary, yet exhilarating, to be in a place where danger was all around you. He shook his head at the way things had played out. A year and some months ago, he would have avoided Honda Tohru just as much as he avoided all other girls, not wanting to get too close, just to be admired from afar.  
  
Things had certainly changed though. Now he was close to three girls: Tohru, and her two friends Hanajima and Uotani. That was wrong though, wasn't it? Now there was another girl coming over to his house. He raked a hand through his short dark hair. Everything had become much more simple, but in the same way, worlds more complicated. But this was beside the point, the point was: even though Yuki put forth an image that other people would adore, that didn't mean that he egged it on and pushed it onto people. That's what Kyou thought made him a much more sociable person, his own effort. He couldn't believe the baka neko thought he enjoyed guys and girls drooling over him every time he turned a corner, entered a room, or looked in a certain direction with a certain expression. He was constantly watched and hoarded by people. At first, things had been rough when he came to this school, events that Kyou wasn't around for.  
  
As he'd walked through the halls for the first time, people had been unsure of their own eyes. Was he a girl or was he a guy? His face heated at the thought of it, guys unsure of whether to hit on him or not. He didn't like the fact that his face was so feminine. His pale skin didn't help his cause either, giving him a soft, fragile look, rather then the sturdy look of other guys. He ground his teeth again. Kyou had that look. He had the looks of a strong guy. Kyou couldn't have passed for a girl in a white and pink dress at a Cultural Festival.  
  
"Souma Kun, your face is red." Tohru announced as she walked next to him.  
  
Yuki's had rose to his face to hide it from Tohru's innocent gaze. He could see her smiling at him from the cracks in his fingers. His face flushed even more as he fought to get that memory out of his mind. It was a horrible memory, but in a way, a good one too. He'd never seen Tohru so red, as the time he'd told her she was very cute. Ah, but she'd seen him in that dress. He stopped walking, bowing his head down and pressing both hands to his face. He should calm down before he threw himself in front of people. Then there was Tohru, tugging gently on his wrists, though she was insistent. He spread his fingers so they could see each other, and watched her as she giggled at his childish actions. He really was acting like a child, why couldn't he be more mature in her presence instead of getting so embarrassed over past affairs.  
  
"What are you thinking about?" She asked him.  
  
"The cultural festival. A while back." He mumbled into the palms of his hands.  
  
That earned a bright grin, and she tugged on his wrists a little bit harder now, coaxing his hands away from his face. His face was only slightly flushed now; he was quickly regaining his usual composure.  
  
"Ne Souma Kun! You didn't listen did you?" She asked, looking down at his hands.  
  
"Ah.?"  
  
"When I first met you, and we were walking to school, I was so nervous because you are so loved by everyone. I kept thinking, 'Aa! I'm walking next to the beautiful Souma Kun, I am so honored!'" She told him happily, "And then, you even invited me into your house and became my friend. I am so lucky!"  
  
Yuki's eyes widened a little, looking at her happily relate all these past thoughts to him.  
  
"Even later when Souma Kun was wearing the dress, I could not even look as pretty in such a thing!" Tohru added with her finger raised up to illustrate the point.  
  
Souma face faulted. His feminine face was haunting him again. He inclined his head forward for emphasis.  
  
"Demo, Honda San, I don't want to look pretty in a dress!" He said through much strain, "Guys are not supposed to."  
  
"Still, everyone loved seeing you that way, even though you were embarrassed." Tohru insisted, "I did too; it was another thing I liked about Souma Kun. Dress or no dress, nezumi or human, I like Souma Kun!"  
  
Yuki took a step back, easing his hands out of Tohru's grip, which had tightened during her small speech. He swallowed, willing his heart to calm down. She had never said it so clearly, never said that she liked him before. Tohru blanched when Yuki pulled away, folding her hands in front of her and bowing.  
  
"Gomen nasai! I over did it?" She questioned.  
  
"I-Iya. Thank you Honda San." He said with a smile.  
  
They continued walking down the hall; this time both of them wore a smile.  
  
A few hours later, Yuki was dazed in his pursuit of Tohru. She was dragging him around to many different places and stands, engaging herself in all of the Juunishi topics that were offered at the celebration. She really did want to learn a lot more about them. He wondered idly how long he was going to last in her wake. When he'd been younger, the New Years festival had always sapped his strength. Just being around all the energetic people, like Momiji and Kagura, took a lot of effort on this part. He was used to the quiet and solitude of his life. She was skipping right through that solitude though, and in a way, it was refreshing to see her happy cries and smiles racing past him as she sampled more and more food and played more and more games. Eventually, she tired herself out and sank onto a bench in a crowded hallway. He smiled in relief and sat down at the other end of the bench, giving a nice 3 feet between them. She turned her head and smiled at him, then proceeded to show him all of the stuff she'd bought. He knew already what she'd gotten, but let her show them all individually. First she produced a bunny chopsticks holder, with the kanji for rabbit in the middle. Next, a cat, mouse, and dog chopsticks holder. She was babbling on about how when they ate they could rest their chopsticks on them, and each would use their own animal, and how cute it was..  
  
He treasured her.  
  
"Minna San, the Juunishi dance will begin in 10 minutes." The loudspeaker announced in a monotone voice.  
  
Tohru brightened and threw her stuff back into her bag before she'd even showed it all, standing up with renewed energy. Yuki face faulted. How can she keep going? Then again, she had complained that her feet were starting to hurt. He stood up and pointed to the Gym in the far lot, eager to stop the redundant 'Doko?' that was rising to a Momiji pitch. She reached back and grabbed his hand, tugging him towards the gym. He blushed a bit, and let himself be dragged. He found it increasingly odd that there was a dance dedicated to the Juunishi here. He felt a little pain of regret at not seeing Momiji's New Years dance last year. It must have been endearing. Momiji hadn't felt too horrible when he hadn't showed up though. Kyou hadn't been present either, but no one is going to miss that stupid cat. Besides, Kyou wasn't allowed to go to the party. He nodded at the solid fact.  
  
"OI!"  
  
Tohru waved. Yuki muttered. Kyou strode over to him with Uo and Hana laughing and pointing at his hair behind him. True, it was sticking straight up almost. Static? Probably not. Cat instinct was too much to ignore at times. He glared at Yuki, then folded his arms and looked at Tohru.  
  
"Your friends won't leave me alone! Get them away from me!" He yelled.  
  
Tohru held up her hands in a 'calm down' position and smiled at him. He only glared and pointed franticly to the two girls behind him. Uo was laughing and making more comments about how jittery he was today, and how funny his cat ears looked, while Hana nodded and added more quiet snippets of her own.  
  
"Don't worry Kyou Kun!" She laughed a bit, "Uo thinks it's cute!"  
  
Kyou's glare froze in place, then he slowly turned red. Four heads commented, leaning in and wondering why he was blushing. He threw up his hands with a yell and ran towards the gym to escape. Uo only laughed and said how strange he was, to which Hana softly agreed.  
  
"Ah.. Kyou Kun." Tohru said, taking a step in that direction.  
  
"Don't worry Honda San," Yuki said, placing a hand on her back and using the other to gesture towards the gym, "we're all going in the same direction. Let's go."  
  
He smiled at the small blush that colored her cheeks, then gave her a little push in that direction as he walked beside her. She smiled brightly and called to Hana and Uo to hurry and come with them, which they did. As the four of them walked towards the gym, Tohru was asking questions about the three people way down the side. There was no one else there, and all of them were dressed in white. Hana said that they were the three that were going to dance; three girls of course, because no guy at this school was brave enough to dance like a woman in front of his entire school in a robe of white. Uo nodded, stating that in truth, men were more easily embarrassed than their female counterpart. That could be true.  
  
He opened the door and let the three ladies in front of him enter first, then stepped in himself and closed it behind him. Gasps of wonder erupted beside him, and he had to admit that even he started at the beautiful sight their gym had become. As they walked onto the bleachers, they made sure to get seats right in the middle. They were a bit late, but Kyou had unconsciously saved seats for them. Everyone in his row had moved way over to the side, or found somewhere else to sit because of the smoldering hot energy rolling off him in waves. Obviously he was in a bad mood with everyone thus far. Tohru plopped down next to him, startling him out of his silent seethe.  
  
"Thank you so much for saving us seats Kyou Kun! You are so nice!" She bubbled.  
  
He scratched the back of his head as he looked down at his lap and nodded silently. Uo gave Hana a knowing look as they both sat on the other side of Kyou. Yuki glared down at the cat, still standing in the row they were sitting in. The cat raised his head and glared back.  
  
"Why are you staring at me, kuso nezumi!?" He yelled with a raised fist.  
  
"I wasn't staring at you, baka neko." Yuki answered as he took his seat next to Tohru.  
  
Tohru laughed nervously in between them, holding up hands to both of them separately. Yuki glared once more, than faced forward to the gym floor. He could see Kyou mocking him out of the corner of his eye, but managed to face front without smacking the cat out of his chair. Still, if he kept pushing it. For some reason he was very testy. Usually he was calm, not upset about a thing unless Tohru was sick, or upset, or something else like that. It was true that the cat upset him greatly if he said the right words, but it wasn't him at this point. It was something else, lurking in the back of his mind, kicking him. He tried to push it out of his thoughts, looking around the gym instead.  
  
The floor was covered with the petals of a flower he'd never paid much attention to, but that captivated him with its beauty. They were long and dark blue, with a lighter shade of blue streaking up the middle. The floor wasn't completely covered in them, but it looked as if it would be as soon as the people sitting on top of the rafters finished their job. They were lined up along the precarious hold, dumping bucket after bucket of the flowers onto the floor. He wondered how they got permission to do something so dangerous. He tried to see the faces of some of the people, and identified a Mokoto from a higher class, but could recognize no more. Other than the flower petals on the gym floor, there were blue drapes that fell from all sides of the building, that were adorned with beads and other forms of silk, in also a lighter blue. They'd done a good job.  
  
As Kyou's complaints drifted into the background noise, his mind wandered from topic to topic, eventually settling on what was to come later tonight. He would have to talk to Kyou of course, and let him know that the girl was going to be there. The way he figured it, Kyou could either show up and say that he was going to do some studying of his own, or he could not come back at all that night. The second suggestion pleased him most. When he considered his options though, there really wasn't much he could ask the cat to do. But after all, he spent most of his time of the roof anyway, so maybe he would have no problem hiding out there while this girl was over. He sighed. Reassuring himself with thoughts like that would only kick him later. He wondered if he knew anything about their visitor. Maybe he should talk to him about more than just her visit. The things that her friend had said sent chills up and down his spine, and made him very uneasy.  
  
He leaned back and let his head rest against the cool metal of the chair, as he let nostalgia take him through the years until he was a child again. He remembered the dark gloomy days he'd spent within the walls of the Souma house, and how much pain it had caused him to be there. Akito had been so cruel to all of them.. All of them.. But still they had not resisted. He had a death grip on all of their lives, but they didn't squirm. They just lie there, unmoving, prisoners of someone on their deathbed, held by loyalty and duty. When he'd been only 5 years old, Akito had been disgusted with his fear towards water. He hadn't been scared all on his own.. Something had happened that made him cringe whenever he saw someone dive into a pool or come out dripping and invite him in. It hadn't happened until he was 6. He'd been walking around the household with a baby puppy in his arms. His asthma was bad at that age; he knew he should have been in bed. Still, they'd just gotten the puppy for the children, and he'd grown attached to it. He'd walked outside with it, standing near the pool, when the dog had caught sight of something and twisted out of his grip. It ended up falling in. Yuki was so panicked that he ended up jumping into the pool after it, not wanting to let his new friend drown. The puppy was rescued by a fishing net, but by the time his uncles and cousins managed to get him out of the water, he'd almost drowned and was suffering from an acute asthma attack. He hadn't gone to the water since, and refused to learn how to swim.  
  
Yuki smiled bitterly, remembering the reasons why he'd been forced to learn everything, teach everything, and be regarded with the highest of praise. As he thought back everything seemed to realize around him. He saw the dark sultry color of the purple drapery, heard the empty silence of his chamber, and felt the cold stone underneath his shaking palms. Akito was yelling again, but what had he done this time? Akito had always yelled at him, whether he'd done something wrong or not. It was fine to yell at him though, fine to hurt him, because he was the child born in the year of the mouse, and no matter what, he would end up the greatest one of them all. Faster, stronger, smarter, he was supposed to be the best. He hated the special attention that he got from everyone because of it. There were times where he wanted to scream at them to leave him alone, but instead he'd only withdrawn further into himself, getting further and further away from the reaching hands of mankind.  
  
Of course, the more he withdrew, the more hateful Akito became. Sometimes he would drag him kicking and screaming into a dark room and leave him there for hours on end, alone and afraid. There was no light source in that room. No windows, no lamp, nothing but the cold walls and the silence. It was his only motivation to behave, not to get caught doing something wrong, to keep up with his lessons, to play sports outside with his teachers. He picked things up quickly, not needing the special attention that other students needed. That's when people's opinions began to change. Eventually he was thrown into the room less as the members of the family began to praise him on how smart he was, and how quick he was, and how he spoke with such eloquence for such a small child. You'd think that so much praise would give him a big head, make him arrogant and spiteful towards other people. You'd think it would make him easily jealous and course; that he was the best and no one else could compare to him in any field, ever. Instead, he bitterly hated the person that he was. He wished with all his heart that he hadn't been cursed with the Juunishi, that he had been normal. Maybe he wouldn't have been as smart as he was, or as athletic and learned, but he would have been a normal person, with a normal life. That was something unattainable for him; something priceless. He hated having everything he did placed under the family microscope. He just wanted a life of his own, some privacy, some freedom.  
  
Another loud outburst from Kyou knocked him out of his deep thinking and put a scowl on his face. Kyou was so stupid. He didn't know what he was missing, true, but that was no reason to assume that it was all upturned roses in full bloom. There was nothing happy about being a Juunishi. There was nothing he was missing out on. He would give anything to trade the place he shared with Kyou. It was better to be someone like Kyou. As long as that bracelet didn't come off, Kyou was far better off. At least he wasn't constantly monitored. He could go off into the mountains for 4 months without much of a second glance. He was an outsider, and he should have been ecstatic that he was so lucky. Instead he could only froth and growl and fight over it. That poor baby; at least he had a life outside.  
  
The first time they had met, it was when Kyou was learning martial arts from his personal teacher, who had even adopted him into his own family after his mother. He gave Kyou special attention, working with him whenever he so much as contemplated it. As soon as Kyou said the word, he would be there. They practiced everything, anytime. Haru had also been learning with Kyou, not quite so long as he had, but for a little while afterwards. Both of them had been in martial arts training for about a year. When he'd shown up, Haru and him had already become somewhat friends. After the wild outburst that Haru had displayed, he became more accepting of Yuki as a person, instead of always thinking of him as the tricky, deceitful mouse. It wasn't the same with Kyou though. The cat of the juunishi had never forgiven him for being the mouse. Even when he got to know him as a person, it only fueled his anger towards him. In a matter of months, Yuki had surpassed Kyou with martial arts in leaps and bounds, and the cat boy couldn't touch him. After that, the other two boys threw themselves into the study of it; Kyou to beat him, and Haru to beat Kyou. Of course, neither of them had succeeded just yet. He laughed at the thought of it. The stupid cat would never beat him. He was far too clumsy, far too angered whenever he fought him. If the boy would just calm down and think about where he was throwing his fists instead of just DOING it, he would be a skilled fighter. It wasn't to say that Kyou wasn't more talented than normal people. He was. He was a very good fighter. He could probably beat everyone at the school. Everyone accept Yuki. He knew it too.  
  
He could tell that he knew it, and that he thought about it a lot. He could tell that he thought about it even now as he looked into his red eyes with the most contempt and hate that he could muster. He wondered how Tohru could go on chatting with her two friends even now as all of his anger and resentment poured out of him and floated on ill will towards Kyou. Now that Kyou had noticed him, his own hateful glare countered Yuki's, and the two of them battled it off with growls behind them. Tohru looked at both of them in turn, then covered their eyes with her hands. Kyou smacked her hand away immediately and slumped forward in an awkward sulk. Yuki blinked a few times until she gently pulled her hand away with a smile.  
  
"Your eyelashes tickle Souma Kun." She said brightly.  
  
"That's cause they're so long! Long as a girls!" Kyou shouted with a flushed face, pointing a finger at Yuki.  
  
"Do you want to discuss my eyelashes outside, baka neko!?" Yuki snarled from the other side of Tohru.  
  
Kyou stood up with a raised fist, Yuki rising to meet the challenge. They were about to attack each other when Tohru grabbed fistfuls of Yuki's shirt and tugged him down into his seat. He cast a wary eye towards Kyou but then realized he had also been subdued by Uotani. He was satisfied at least that he hadn't been the only one tugged off his feat. Still, he glared at the carrot top until Tohru tilted her head into his line of sight.  
  
"Souma Kun. Please try to behave while we're here." She said with an encouraging nod.  
  
He nodded, slightly embarrassed that he had to be reprimanded - however kindly - by Tohru. She turned her head and told the same to Kyou, who only scoffed at her wish, folded his arms over his chest, and leaned back into his chair with his eyes fixated on the gym floor. She knew that was his way of respected her request though, and so she smiled, commented on how cute he looked with his cat ears, then settled back into her own chair when he was satisfyingly red. At that moment, when the last petal from the buckets hit the gym floor, the lights in the gym all turned off. Tohru jumped in her seat next to him; a few other girls screamed. He was glad that one of those girls wasn't Tohru; he could only take so much more stress on his nerves. He put a calming hand on top of Tohru's, feeling her racing pulse under her delicate pale skin. She laughed in embarrassment and covered her face with her other hand. He could only think of how cute she was.  
  
A man walked out into the center of the gym floor, and he realized that it was the president of the school, so this was probably going to be a speech of some importance. The man cleared his throat, and then, in a deep voice, addressed the crowd of excited students.  
  
"For all of those who do not know the true purpose of this day, it is to celebrate qualities that all of us share, based on the Juunishi. I have been presented with many questions today, one of which prompted the creation of this celebration." He began, "It is true, that there is no cat in the Juunishi, but because of intimately related events, we chose to, in a way, include the cat today."  
  
"I don't see why," Yuki muttered, earning a defensive growl from Kyou.  
  
"Some may not know the story, and so I will indulge you. The cat was tricked by the mouse on the day of the great feast, and did not arrive at the banquet, and so was left out forever." He made a quick story of it, then added, "And some of you may feel that it was bad of the mouse to trick the cat."  
  
A few scattered shouts went up from the students in the gym.  
  
"But maybe it wasn't. The cat from the Juunishi story is vengeful and vile tempered, and so we want all of those who were given cat ears today to go home with thoughtfulness, and think about how you're living your lives." He added this point with a finger raised in the air for emphasis, which also insinuated that there was to be no argument on this fact.  
  
The gym was silent, all for the growls and hisses coming from Tohru's right. Yuki might have felt some sympathy for the fact that Kyou was singled out if it wasn't that they were such bitter enemies. He felt even less sympathetic for him when Tohru patted his hand a couple of times with comforting, understanding words. After that small speech, the president told everyone to enjoy their day and partake in as many festivities as they wanted, because it was going to be another year before such a day occurred again. He exited the floor with polite clapping. As soon as he left the floor, the three dancers entered the 'arena' with cartwheels and flips. He knew right away that Hana and Uo were right. They were all girls. He could tell with the fluid movements of their hands and the shape of their bodies. He could hear Uo saying 'what'd I tell you?' and a few other things to Tohru as he watched the three girls. They easily captivated the audience with their natural grace and dramatic movements, and when it was over, Tohru stood up on her feet with a plethora of other happy students and cheered for them. Yuki smiled at her energetic cries as he stood up to exit the gym.  
  
He checked his watch and frowned slightly. It was well into the afternoon at this point, and probably time they all got home. This wasn't the last event of the day, but it was probably the one that was most anticipated, so maybe Tohru wouldn't mind getting home now.  
  
"Souma Kun!" She shouted happily as she latched onto his arm, "Wasn't that amazing!? I wish we could stay and visit some of the other stands but. We really should be getting home ne? I don't want Keiko to arrive when we're not there yet!"  
  
Yuki felt feelings of relief coming until Kyou, standing on a higher bleacher in order to tower over him, looked down at him with a glower fit to make Akito nervous.  
  
"Keiko..Arrive?!"  
  
Japanese Glossary:  
  
Omedetou - Celebration/Congradulations! Ara - Oh my; could it be? Genki - Good feeling, energetic Hai - Yes Iya/Iie - No!/No (Just a difference of emphasis) Baka neko - Stupid cat Kuso Nezumi - Damn Mouse Doko - Where Gomen Nasai - So sorry Minna - Everyone Sou desu ne - Is that so?/I see. Onna - woman  
  
** Yuki says 'Rin' instead of Lin because in Japan, L's are very hard to pronounce and usually changed to R's. Keiko is able to say her name because of where she was originally born, and where she grew up. 


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